Cambodia or Kampuchea is one of the
countries in Indochina (Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos) The country has
got many temple monuments, especially the temples complex in Siem Reap. This
archeological site became the world heritage registered by UNESCO in 1992.
The temples are now being well-looked after. Visitors can travel to Siem Reap either on
regular domestic flights, overland or by speedboat long the magnificent
Tonle Sap to explore new cultures, meeting local fisherman in their floating
villages and tasting ethnic food fares. Angkor Temples are spread throughout
the forest. Heading north from Siem Reap , you first came to Angkor Wat,
then Angkor Thom etc,.
Angkor Wat
The Angkor Wat Temple, the mysterious Hindu Temple built by King Suryavarman
II at the height of the Khmer Empire in the 12th century is the world's
largest temple in the complex. It consists of many sandstone building,
chapels, causeways, terraces and reservoirs, it is believed that
the gods assisted the architect whose identity remains a mystery
until today.
The walls of the
temple are covered with thousands of carving depicting scenes of
confrontations between the gods and the demons of classical Hindu mythology.
Yet on some are genial-dancing ladies known as "Apsara" and on others
depicting royal processions with the king and other royalties are riding on
the elephant. Whatever it is, the carvings are clearly masterpieces in the
true sense. There is much about Angkor Wat that is unique among the temples
of Angkor. The most significant point is its westward orientation. West is
symbolically the direction of death, which once led many scholars to
conclude that Angkor Wat was primary a tomb. This was supported by the fact
that the magnificent bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat were designed to view in an
anticlockwise direction, a practice, which has antecedents in Hindu funerary
rites. Vishnu, however, is often associated with the west, and it is
commonly accepted nowadays that Angkor Wat was probably both a temple and a
mausoleum for Suryavarman II.
Angkor Thom The
fortified city of Angkor Thom, some 10sq km in extent, was built by Angkor's
greatest King, JayavarmanVII (ruled 1181-1201). Centered on Baphuon, Angkor
Thom is enclo sed by a square wall 8m high and 12km in length and encircled
by moat 100m wide, said to have been inhabited by fiece crocodiles. The city
has five monumental gates, one each in the north, west and south walls and
two in the east wall. In front of each gate stand giant statues of 54 gods
(to the left of the causeway) and 54 demons (to the right of the causeway),
a motif taken from the story of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk
illustrated in the famous bas-relief at Angkor Wat. In the center of the
walled enclosure are the city's most important monuments, including the
Bayon, the Baphuon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas and the Terrace of
Elephants.
Bayon
The Bayon takes an easy second
places after Angkor Wat .The smile of the four-faced Bayon has
become a world-recognized symbol of Cambodia. The towering
faces, reaching up to four meters in height, adorn the Bayon
Temple at the exact center of Angkor Thom in Siem Reap. As many
as 216 faces on the 54 remaining towers, each represented one
province of Khmer empire in the ancient time. The Bayon is now
known to have been built by Jayavarman VII . There is still much
mystery associated with the Bayon - its exact function and
symbolism .
and this seems only appropriate for
a monument whose signature is an enigmatically smiling face.
Baphoun The Baphuon, a pyramidal representation
of mythical Mt Meru, is 200m north - west of the Bayon. It was constructed
by Udayadityavarman II (reigned 1049-65) and marked the center of the city
that existed before the construction of Angkor Thom. The Baphuon is in
pretty poor shape and at the time of writing it was being restored by a
French team, with much of the temple marked off-limits. It is approached by
a 200m elevated walkway made of sandstone. The central structure is 43m
high, but unfor-tunately its submit has collapsed (it may be restored). On
the west side of the temple, the remaining wall of the second level was
fashioned -apparently in the 15th century into a reclining Buddha 40m in
length.
Banteay Srei
Banteay Srei was built in the late
10th century and is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. The
temple is square with entrances at the east and west. Of chief
inter-east are the three central towers, which are decorated
with male and female divinities and beautiful filigree relief
work. Banteay Srei is 21km north-east of the Bayon and 8km west
of Phnom Kulen. You can combine a visit here with a trip to the
sacred mountain of Phnom Kulen.
Ta
Prohm
The temple of Ta Prohm rates with
Angkor Wat and the Bayon as one of the most popular attractions
of Angkor. Ta Prohm is a unique other world experience. The
temple is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and
walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root systems.
If Angkor Wat , the Bayon and other temples are testimony to the
genius of the Angkor-period Khmers, Ta Prohm reminds us equally
of the awesome fecundity and power of the jungle. Built in
approximately 1186, Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple
dedicated to the mother of jayavarman VII. Ta
Prohm is a temple of towers, close courtyards and narrow corridors. Many of
the corridors are impassable, clogged with jumbled piles of delicately
carved stone blocks dislodged by the roots of long-decayed trees.
Bas-reliefs on building walls are carpeted by lichens; moss, creeping plants
and shrubs sprout from the roofs of monumental porches. Trees, hundreds of
years old - some supported by flying buttresses - tower overhead, their
leaves filtering the sunlight and casting a greenish pall over the whole
scene.
Preah Khan
The temple of Preah Khan (Sacred
Sword) is a good counterpoint to Ta Prohm, though it gets far
fewer visitors. Preah Khan was built by Jayavarman VII (it may
have served as his temporary residence while Angkor Thom was
being built), and like Ta Prohm it is a place of towered
enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. The central sanctuary
of the temple was dedicated in 1191, Preah Khan's role as a
center for worship and learning. Preah Khan covered a very large
area, but the temple itself is within a rectangular enclosing
wall of around 700m by 800m Four
processional walkways approach the gates
of the temple. These gates are flanked, gods carrying a serpent, . as
in the approach to Angkor Thom. From the central sanctuary, four long vaulted
galleries extend in the cardinal directions. Many of the interior walls of
Preah Khan were once coated with plaster held in place by holes in the
stone.
Phnom Bakheng
Around 300m south of Angkor Thom,
the main attraction of Phnom Bakheng is the sunset view of
Angkor Wat. Still, the sunset over the Tonle Sap lake is very
impressive from the hill. It is also now possible to arrange an
elephant ride up the hill and the location certainly makes for
one of the more memorable journeys you will make. Phnom Bakheng
is also home to the first of the temple mountain built in the
near vicinity of Angkor. Yasovarman I (rule 889 - 910) chose
Phnom Bakheng over theRolous area, where previous temples have
been built. Phnom Bakheng is a five-
tiered temple mountain with seven levels. All of
these numbers are of symbolic significance. The seven levels, for example,
represent the seven Hindu heavens, while the total number of towers,
excluding the Central Sanctuary, is 108, a particularly auspicious number
and which co-relates to the lunar calendar.
Phnom Kulen
Angkor Wat does not mark the start
of the Angkorean Empire begun by Jayavarman II in the 9th
century. At just about 42km north of Siem Reap Town, many
visitors combine a visit to Phnom Kulen with a trip to the pink
sandstone temple of Banteay Srei. But Phnom Kulen is also a
change of scenery for those who have spent days looking at the
impressive lowland temples and wish to see a different, rural
Cambodia, waterfalls and forest. In 802 AD, the mysterious
King Jayavarman II proclaimed this place and its surroundings as
his empire and declared it free of the rule of Java,
and Phnom Kulen was born as the new dynasty's first capital. The peak of Phnom Kulen opens out
to a large flat plain. On either side, tall waterfalls crash down the
mountain; clean, clear and cool water provide a wonderful place for
tourists. Carvings of Brahminand lingas can be seen etched into the
riverbed. A mountain peak temple houses a huge reclining Buddha, gazing
serenely out from his peaceful mountain home. This is the largest reclining
Buddha in the Kingdom. It is an unforgettable memory of this stunning and
exotic Kingdom.
Floating Village at Tonle Sap
This has become a popular excursion
for visitors wanting a break from the temples and is easy enough
to arrange yourself, get a preview as the floating village is
near Phnom Krom where the boat docks. It is very scenic in the
warm light of early morning or late afternoon.
On the Tonle Sap lake, there are 3 biospheres and an
establishment of the bird sanctuary there makes it the
most worthwhile and straight forward location to visit. If you
are able to visit during the
dry season (December to May), the
concentration of birds is like something out of a Hitchcock film as water
starts to dry up elsewhere.
Ta
Som
Ta Som (the ancestor Som)
Date: Late 12th century
King: Jayavarman VII
Cult: Buddhist
Located east of Neak Pean, built by Jayavarman VII dedicated to Buddha and
his father. Ta Som is a single tower monument on one level surrounded by
three encl- osing walls with entry small room on each sid connecting to
laterite wall, is yet another of the late XIIth century Buddhist temples of
Jayavarman VII. Much of Ta Som is in a ruined state.
Banteay Kdei
Banteay Kdei (the citadel of chambers or the cells citadel)
Date: second half of the 12th to the beginning of the 13th century (1181)
King: Jayavarman VII
Cult: Buddhist
Banteay Kdei or Parvatathagata, royal monastery
and also Jayavarman VII’s monument, was built in 1181, under the reign of
the king Jayavarman VII and dedicated to the Buddhist cult. The
externallaterite enclosure wall (fourth enclosure), 500m by 700m has four
gopuras which are exactly the same as those at Ta Prohm – an upper tower
with the four faces of Lokeshvara and corner motifs with Garudas. They are
evidently of the Bayon Period, like the narrow cruciform terrace which, on
the west side at 200m from the entrance crosses the moat and is decorated
with lions and naga balustrades with straddling garudas. The gopura of the
third enclosure is cruciform in plan, has internal pillars and is covered
with a crossing of vaults. It appears to be older and has three passageways
those at either extremity are independent and adjoin the 300m by 320
laterite wall. Their wall are sculpted quite crudely with foliated scrolls
enlivened with small figures and large devatas standing in niches. In the
internal courtyard is a frieze of Buddhas which have been defaced by the
iconoclasts.
Srah
Srang
Srah Srang (the royal bathing pool)
Date: (embarkation terrace) Late 12th century
King: Jayavarman VII
Across the road from the east entrance of Banteay Kdei, Srah
Srang was built by Jayavarman VII at the end of 12th century and
dedicated to Buddhism. It is a large lake measuring 700m by 300m
with an elegant landing terrace of superb proportion and scale.
A majestic platform with stairs leads to the pond. It is built
of laterite with sandstone molding.
The platform is in the shape of a cross with
serpent balustrades flanked two lions. At the front there is enormous
Garudas riding a three headed serpents. At the back there is mythical
creature comprising a three headed serpent, the lower portion of a Garuda
and stylized tail decorated with small serpent head. The body of the serpent
rests on a dais supported by mythical monsters. Srah Srang always has water
and surrounded by greenery. According to one French archaeologist, it offers
at the last rays of the day one of the most beautiful poit vie the park od
Angkor.
Eastern Mebon
Date: 952
King: Rajendravarman II
Cult: Bramanic (Shiva)
Located 500m north of Pre Rup. The
monument was built in the middle o the artificial lake of the
king Yashovarman I. It was an Island temple as Lokei. Eastern
Barrya which was excavated by Yashovarman I (ruled 889-910), who
marked its four corners with steles. The Eastern Baray which was
a large body of lake(2km by 7km ) fed by the Siem Reap River and
was the most
important of the public works of Yasodharapura,
Yasovarman I’s capital. The East Mebon is a temple with five towers arranged
like the numbers on a die atop a base with three tiers. The whole is
surrounded by three enclosures. The towers represent the five peaks of the
mythical Mount Meru. This Hindu temple is very similar in design though
smallest in size to the Pre Rup temple, which was built 15 to 20 years later
and lies immediately to the south.
Terrace of Elephants
Date: late 12th century
King: Jayavarman VII
Cult: Buddhist
Clearing by de Mecquenem in 1911 and
H.Marchal in 1916 The terrace of the Elephants in its present
form extends in length for over 300m – from the Baphoun to the
terrace of the Leper King – thought the two extremities remain
imprecise in their layout and the terrace itself shows
evidence of additions and alterations.
The terrace faces on the Royal Square of the
city of Angkor Thom. This area was the Royal Palace but the actual buildings
were built of wood and havenot survived. The 350m long terrace which extend
from Baphoun to the Terrace of Leper King, the Elephants Terrace was used as
a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the
king’s grand audience hall. As you stand here, try to imagin the pomp and
grandeur of the Khmer empire at its height with infantry, cavalry,
horse-drawn chariots and elephants parading across the Central Square in a
colorful procession, pennants and standards aloft. Looking on is the
god-king, crowned with a gold diadem, shaded by multiplied parasols and
attended by mandarins and handmaidens bearing gold and silver utensils.
Terrace of Leper King
Date: late 12th century
King: Jayavarman VII
Cult: Buddhist
The terrace of the leper king lies
just to the north of the Terrace of Elephants, aligned with it
but standing separate. A mound of masonry about 25m across by 6
high, it is formed as a bastion with side that are lined in
sandstone and entirely sculpted with figures in a high relief,
juxtaposed and separated in seven registers – the uppermost of
which has almost entirely
disappeared. Although now standing isolated –
joined only at its north and south by the start of some returning walls – it
is probable that this motif was previously but one element in a vast
composition, perhaps complemented with pools, that has evidently undergone
alteration. The Terrace of the Leper King is a platform 7m high. On top of
the platform stand a nude, though sexless statue. Legend has it that at
least two of the Angkor kings had leprosy, and the statue may represent one
of them. A more likely explanation is that the statue is of Yam, the god of
death, and that the Terrace of the Leper King housed the royal crematorium.
Takeo
Date: till 1000
King: Jayavarman V and Suryavarman I
Cult: Brahmanic (Shiva)
Located east of Thammanon and Chau Say Tevoda,
the absence of the decoration of the monument shows us the very unfinished
temple of Takeo, according to the inscription, there was a lightning that
hit on it – it was a bad omen and the monument was abandoned. It is an
imposing sight, scaling 22m to the sky, and give an impression of power.
Takeo was the first Angkorian monument built entirely in sandstone and such
serves as a milestone. Enormous blocks of stone were cut to a regular size
and place in position. the absence of decoration at Takeo gives its
simplicity of design that separates from the other monuments. The summit of
the central tower, which is surrounded by four lower towers, is 10m high.
This quincunx arrangement with four towers at the corners of a square and a
fifth tower in the center is typical of many Angkor temple mountains.
Chau
Say Tevoda
Date: late of 11th century to first half of 12th century
King: Suryavarman II
Cult: Brahmanic
Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon are two small
monuments close together(located on the lest and right sides of the road)
and similar in plan and style. Although the precise dates of these monuments
are unknown, they belong to the best period of “classic art” stylistically
and represent two variations of a single theme of composition. Built by King
Suryavarman II from the end of the 11th to the first half of the 12th
century and dedicated to Brahmanism. Walking toward the temple you can see
traces of a moat and vestiges of rectangular laterite base of an enclosing
wall. Currently is under restoration.
Thommanon
Located east of the Gate of Victory of Angkor Thom, across the road (north)
from Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon is rectangular in plan with a sanctuary
opening the east, a moat and an enclosing wall with two entry towers, one on
the east and another on the west, and one library near the southeast side of
the wall. Only trace of laterite base of the wall remains. Thommanon is a
gem an should not be missed. It is similar in plan and style to Chau Sya
Tevoda, which is close by. Built by King Suryavarman II from the end of the
11the to the first half of the 12the century and dedicated to Brahmanism.
Neak
Pean
Date: second half of the 12th
century
King: Jayavarman VII
Cult: Buddhist
Located east of Preah Khan; 300m
from the road, Neak Pean is a large square man made pond 70m
each side bordered by steps and surrounded by four smaller
square ponds. A small circular island with a stepped base of
seven laterite tiers is in the center of the large square pond.
Small elephants sculpted in the round originally stood on the
four corners. Although Neak Pean is small and a collection of
five ponds, it is worth a visit for its unique features. Most
photogenic in the wet season when the pools are full.
Beng
Mealea
Beng Mealea is one of the most
interesting temple of Siem Reap, but was a long way to get there. Since the road has improved recently
it makes
this site becoming very popular. This 12th century temple is
enclosed by a moat measuring 1200m by 900m. It is nearly the
size of Angkor Wat, but utterly subsumed by jungle. Many of the
carvings have recently been removed because of the temple's
not well protected, but it is really worth to see that.
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